He never enlarged upon the novel concept of “additional income that I don’t need” or who gets to make that determination for other people, but he has made it clear on several occasions that he is a firm believer in income redistribution.

People whose 2014 income will be a little too high to get subsidized health insurance from Covered California next year should start thinking now about ways to lower it to increase their odds of getting the valuable tax subsidy.

Under the Affordable Care Act, if your 2014 income is between 138 and 400 percent of poverty level for your household size, you can purchase health insurance on a state-run exchange (such as Covered California) and receive a federal tax subsidy to offset all or part of your premium.

What a glorious plan! With a few minor adjustments, any Californian can become a ward of the federal government. All Golden Staters have to do is lower their income until they qualify for free health care. Some even might be encouraged to take their poverty down a notch, enabling them to qualify for food stamps. Sub-basement’s the limit!

But there’s an even easier way to qualify for a health care subsidy, thanks to the care with which the law was implemented: Lie.

As the Washington Post’s Sarah Kliff reported in July, the income verification system that was supposed to be ready in time for the opening of the exchanges was delayed. The administration will this be taking enrollees at their word with respect to their income through 2015. The lapse, Kliff noted, is an open invitation to rampant fraud, which is already commonplace in Medicare and Medicaid.